Latest News From The Villa at Riverwood

The Helping Hands Food Pantry of Spanish Lake received an unexpected surprise from the Villa at Riverwood, and it came just in time for the Holidays. $500 of non-perishable food was loaded up by five members of the Villa management team and delivered to the pantry. "What an incredible act of kindness" said Helping Hands Director, Ed Meyer, "With the holidays coming up, donations were slowing down and we worried we would not have enough food to feed our families.” The pantry helps feed 40-50 families every week – and serves up more than 55,000 meals a year. As an independent senior living community with supportive services, The Villa at Riverwood’s Executive Director, Fran Jackson says, “Every day our employees focus on how can they can help better the lives of our residents. It’s all part of our Lifestyle 360 Wellness Program – I am so proud of our employees because this was the gift that they all agreed upon.”

In a partnership between the University of Missouri-St. Louis woman's basketball team and the Villa at Riverwood, several Villa Seniors are now proud new grandparents. The idea of teaming players and seniors was a natural fit for Assistant Coach Emily Geary as she experienced the success at another university. The Villa's Lifestyle 360 Director, Kelly Anderson, loved the idea and immediately put the plan into action. She requested each player, including Geary and head coach Katie Vaughn, send a photo and a short bio of themselves. This was followed by a meeting with Villa residents to have them select their new granddaughter. The Initial visit took place with an enthusiastic reception at The Villa at Riverwood. The Coaches and team returned to the Villa for a "Game Day with the Grandparents" and then followed the team to UMSL as “special guests” of the Missouri Tritons for their home game. They went on to defeat the University of Puerto-Rico Mayaguez in a rewarding victory for the home team and their adoring new fans. The Villa at Riverwood is located in Florissant, MO.

For the month of October, residents and staff from The Villa at Riverwood filled this can full of food twice with various items that will help bring a bountiful Thanksgiving to those at the Helping Hands Food Pantry. That's The Villa at Riverwood's Director of Sales and Marketing Bob Mogley along with Kelly Anderson, the Villa's Lifestyle 360 Activities Director with Ed and Bobbie Meyer from Helping Hands Food Pantry. A big Villa Thank You to all who donated!

We had a BBQ for our residents and the entire subdivision of homes surrounding our Community. There was wonderful food, drinks, dessert and live blue grass music by our own Maintenance Director, Nat Turdo and his outstanding son, Chris Turdo. This amazing palm tree with fresh fruit was made by our Dining Service Director, Teresa Koehler.